Asphalt is an amazing substance. It is strong, hardwearing, malleable, cost-effective and has so many uses! From roads to sidewalks and driveways and more. Pavers even use it to make paving slabs that look absolutely amazing. But did you know that this awesome material has a long and very rich history that spans the entire world? Join us as we explore the origins of asphalt.

Where Did It Start?

Geologists indicate that the true origins of asphalt are deep in the earth. Asphalt is actually a naturally occurring material. A particular type of asphalt, which we know as rock asphalt, is a mixture of sand, limestone, and asphalt. There are also naturally occurring asphalt lakes.

The origins of the use of this natural rock asphalt substance is many hundreds of years ago. Historians believe the Mesopotamians are the first known use of the material. Turns out that it is perfect for waterproof temples and baths. Romans act as the follow up for the Mesopotamians. Roman roads still exist today. This is thanks, in part, to their use of asphalt as a road material as far back as 625 BC.

Modern Asphalt

The origins of asphalt as we know it today, is mostly a by-product of crude oil refining and it is still as useful today as it has ever been. There are now many types of mixtures and types of asphalt and research and development are still ongoing today with advances in technology happening all the time.

Modern asphalt owes some of its histories to an English road builder who first used asphalt as a road material in the 1700s where he used natural rock asphalt to lay roads in Northern England.

It was a Scottish civil engineer called John Loudon Macadam who first perfected the use of asphalt as a road-building material. He was living in a small city called Bristol that is situated in the South West of the  United Kingdom when he came across the perfect solution. He started to mix asphalt with broken stones to create roads and this method was soon used by builders all over the UK and became known as tarmacadam named after the man who first found this method of road building. This name was soon shortened to tarmac and it is still known by this name in the UK today.

Asphalt in America

Asphalt as a road material first started to be used in America in the late 1800’s where it was used as a pavement material in Newark after being developed by a chemist called Edmund J DeSmedt. It was soon realized just how good asphalt was to use as a building and paving material and  he went onto use over fifty thousand sheets of it to pave Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

After this, builders and engineers all over America see the benefits of this material. It is perfect for road building. And there were several different styles and methods developed over time and some of these are still used today.

In the early 1900’s the process of making and using asphalt as a paving material had grown and developed even further with asphalt production from crude oil becoming far more popular than the use of the more natural rock asphalt. This coincided with vehicle usage in America becoming more and more popular making it necessary to have a good road system in place.

Modern Times

In 1956, Congress finally allots a substantial amount of money to the improvement of transport links. The Interstate Highways Act allots over fifty billion dollars in aid. The use of asphalt in these roads was essential. Asphalt technology and production continued to grow and improve.

Then, in the 1970’s, Americans began buying more and more cars. It became necessary to find a way to meet the continuing need for bigger and better roads. Luckily, experts know how to recycle asphalt. Now it is one of the most recycled materials in the U.S. A pretty impressive claim to fame for such a popular and well-used building material.

Research continues into asphalt to this day and for good reason! It is an awesome material with a lot of uses.

It is easy to use, relatively cheap to produce and work with. There is no better pavement material than asphalt!